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***A remarkable change in sound marks The Crack Pipes' third release. Beauty School's thirteen songs follow a course through American music from the gritty Howlin' Wolf stomper of the opening track to the chamber strings of the reprise finale. Some country teasin', a little tasty funk and plenty of garage rockin' good times all await. "East Side Injections" digs deep into ghetto issues and "Reflections in a Bad Light" is the best anti-cocaine song of the decade, but the album's highpoint is "Q&A" which answers all the questions, one by one, as to why this band is called The Crack Pipes. Believe it! The Crack Pipes have gone to beauty school and now can see the beauty in all things, from the swaying branch of a lonely tree to the wreckage of a man passed out on the street, it's the blues and the super yeah yeah sound, come on up to the lighthouse for the blind. An Aus-punk body blow...a powerful onslaught of garage rock. Lead pipe Ray Pride goes from mumbling angst-rider to Americana preacher...toxically simple but emotionally involving....More often than not, the Crack Pipes shine like the best of 'em, with the carefree chaos of weathered vets.... [F]ull of noisy fun [that] slithers and shakes in the right direction. --Austin Chronicle The Crack Pipes are...a little off hinge, that's exactly why you will own this album by the end of the day. --sctas.com |
